Seated Scribe
2620-2500 BCE, c. 4th Dynasty Old Kingdom
Saqqara, Egypt
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Painted Limestone with rock crystal, magnesite, copper/arsenic inlay for eyes and wooden nipples.
The sculpture of the seated scribe is one of them most important examples of ancient Egyptian art because it was one of the rare examples of Egyptian naturalism, as most Egyptian art is highly idealized and very rigid.
Form
Unique that the figure is seated as opposed to upright and statuary.
Unique in its individualistic features
Irises are inlaid with rock crystal
Figure is limestone painted with red ocher.
Nipples made of wood
Would have been placed on top of a description piece about the scribe
Function
Commemorate and revere the scribe himself and his importance in preserving Egyptian history.
Serves a funerary purpose to help the scribe transcend into the afterlife.
The position in which the scribe was posed was originially for royal sons
Content
Holds a papyrus scroll
Midriff fat shows his wealth and importance
His tranquil face symbolizes wisdom
His calm gaze symbolizes his knowledge and intent desire to reach the afterlife
He would have been seated on a larger piece that would have had descriptions of his titles and names
The scribe is depicted at work which is unusual for a Egyptian statue
The position of the scribe in this statue is a position of royalty in the sitting down
Context
Depicts a scribe from the Necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt.
Scribes were revered for their literacy and writing abilities, which were not ubiquitous at the time.
Egyptian sites for years have been pillaged and it is very fortunate that an artwork like this was recovered and sent to the Louvre
Cross-Cultural Comparison: Human Figure
Shiva as Nataraja
Great Buddha From Todai-ji
Abakanowicz, Androgyn III
Khan Academy Video: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/predynastic-old-kingdom/v/the-seated-scribe-c-2620-2500-b-c-e
The Louvre Museum
https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/seated-scribe
